elves live in the land       
      beyond the great dam.       
  it  was  built  in the late sixties.  
     the elves came to us then.     
                      
                      
 they  were  very  manipulative,  and  we 
 came to trust them.           us 
 kids  would play down at  the water even 
 though we were not allowed.        
    sometimes  the sluice  would  close 
 entirely,  and  the  river at  the  dams 
 foot would dry  up, revealing the  rocky 
 water   garden  that  had  been   hidden 
 beneath,  and we would go there.     
       before the  dam  opened again, 
 there would  be a signal, but the  elves 
 would  make us not hear it, and suddenly 
 we would find the  water rising, already 
 at our  knees.               
                      
   by then  the elves would  be gone.